


in another place, in another time

by learningcurvette



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drama & Romance, Living the best of your life and then got involved in shady things aka, M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:48:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21693289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/learningcurvette/pseuds/learningcurvette
Summary: Sebastian knew about magical portraits. There were talking portraits, moving portraits, and singing portraits. He read and watched enough Harry Potter. Don't forget that Dorian Gray type of portrait. But this? This is another different type of crazy.
Relationships: Kimi Räikkönen/Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton/Nico Rosberg (past)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 37





	1. the one where he encountered a photo

Sebastian groaned quietly in relief when the bell rang. His professor started to get on his nerves with his pretentious explanation. How could he make an interesting topic sound so _dead_? He shook his head and quickly packed his stuff. With a nod and smile to his professor, no matter how he wanted to yell at the older man, he made his way out.

He grimaced as he noticed the hallway was filled with people bustling in a hurry, trying to get to their next class. He took a deep breath before he resignedly threw himself to the crowd. Sebastian winced in pain as someone jabbed their binder at him and another stepped on his left foot. He kept walking, uncaring that he ended up pushing people with his shoulders and hitting them with his swaying bag, slung in one shoulder.

Outside, the sun was shining bright on the university grounds. The spring air was warm on his skin and there was a slight breeze rustling his hair. Sebastian was glad he hadn’t decided to wear his jacket today, he would be sweating horribly. As he strolled the walkway, he observed the people around him. Some of the athlete students were having their fun rolling around the grass with some girls sitting farther away side-eyeing them. Some were content to just lay on with their bags carelessly put away from them. The others were preparing a picnic, arranging their picnic mat while their friends fussing on what was inside the basket.

On the bench near the end of the walkway, Sebastian noticed Daniel sitting with his legs crossed and his left arm draped casually on top of the bench while concentrating on the phone in his right hand. Sebastian grinned and excitedly made his way to his Australian friend, tiptoeing to avoid being noticed. He opened his mouth to yell surprise, but Daniel beat him into it, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re as loud as an elephant, Vettel?”

The German pouted at his friend’s words, “I’m not loud,” he lied. His mother once said he had no ounce of subtlety on his bones, what with his thundering footsteps and honest wide eyes, but there was no way he would tell his friend about that.

Daniel stood up and brushed imaginary dust on his shirt, “Well, you are,” he grinned, “Now, how about lunch?”

* * *

“Where’s Lewis?” Sebastian asked after they had finished ordering their lunch. They made their way to their usual spot near the window. Sebastian smiled briefly to the people they walked past. It was a small café and the people who came here for lunch were usually regulars, so they knew each other’s’ faces. Sebastian and Daniel, and the currently absent Lewis liked to make up names and life stories of the people they observed in the café as a way of having fun. 

Daniel frowned at the question, but didn’t answer it until they were seated, “Nico called him.”

Sebastian huffed, annoyed, “Nico is a brat and I thought they broke up. What else is it this time?”

Daniel snorted at Sebastian’s retort but shrugged his shoulders at the question. He picked his fork and twirled the spaghetti mindlessly, “Do you think I should force Lewis to do a blind date?”

Sebastian leaned back on his chair and said, “I like the idea, but no. He just got out of a relationship, I don’t want him to jump into another one when he’s not ready or just because he isn’t used to being single.”

“You’re right,” Daniel replied with his mouth-filled food open, “Maybe I should be the one going on a blind date.”

“Huh,” Sebastian eyed the Australian, “Just chew with your mouth closed when you’re at it. That’ll do.”

Daniel glared at the other man and chewed loudly. Sebastian rolled his eyes at his friend’s antics. They continued their lunch in silence when Jenson swung by their table to greet them. Sebastian smiled in reply but stayed silent as he continued sipping on his coffee. He watched fondly as Daniel and Jenson talked animatedly with each other, something about an acquaintance of them.

Sebastian liked Jenson. Not in a romantic way, unlike what Daniel and Lewis thought. He was shy around people he wasn’t close with and Jenson wasn’t truly his friend. Lewis’ maybe, both British and sharing common interests in music, and Daniel’s definitely, what with Jenson being the senior who helped Daniel got through his first year in Uni. They got along well enough, but not well enough that Sebastian fancied himself being in love with the older man. Maybe because he got his priorities and having a boyfriend, or a girlfriend, was not one of them.

“Ah, no,” Sebastian heard Daniel saying, “That is more Lewis and Seb’s cup of tea. Maybe we’ll check it out after lunch, right Seb?”

Sebastian shook his head, “I’m sorry, what is it?”

He looked up from his coffee and found Jenson smiling at him and Daniel rolling his eyes, “Jenson here asked whether we knew about the antique store on the corner of the street. I don’t think we do, huh?”

Sebastian squirmed in his place, uncomfortable. He and Lewis actually knew about that particular store. They had been dying to visit the place, but never managed to find the time. But, he just smiled, “Maybe we could check it out after lunch?”

Daniel rolled his eyes, “That’s what I just said, wasn’t it?”

Jenson chuckled.

* * *

“Welcome to our store,” A monotone voice greeted Sebastian and Daniel the moment they entered the antique store. At the other end of the store, a bulky blonde stood behind the counter, watching them, “Can I help you?”

Sebastian shook his head and smiled, “It’s fine, we’re only looking for now,” before making his way around the store. Daniel, meanwhile, headed toward the counter and greeted the blonde, “Hello.”

The blonde looked up at him and echoed back the greeting before asking, “Are you not looking around?”

Daniel waved the question away, “Not really my kind of scenery, no offense, but my friend there likes these kinds of things,” he nodded toward Sebastian who was examining a vase.

“None taken,” the other man answered easily, “It isn’t mine either.”

Daniel stared at the blonde man in question, “Then why open an antique store? Sorry if that was rude.”

The man shrugged his shoulders, “It’s my uncle’s place actually. I need a part-time job and he let me work here. It looks empty, but we actually have a lot of requests from collectors and the likes. My uncle goes around the world to search for some pieces of stuff for his clients and he wanted someone to take care of the store, so it’s a win-win solution.”

“Oh,” Daniel said, his mind went blank after the explanation, “Uh, I’m Daniel,” he ended up introducing himself. He watched as the other man snorted, “Yeah, I know. Ricciardo, right? We shared a class or two.”

Daniel looked puzzled and the other man took pity on him, “We shared a class, Mr. Heynworth. I’m Valtteri.”

“Of course, the Finn,” Daniel grinned, “We sat too far in class, maybe next time we should sit next to each other. I can’t believe I don’t remember you."

Valtteri shrugged, “I have that kind of face people forget easily, it’s not your fault.”

Daniel lifted himself across the counter and hugged Valtteri, “No, I’m just a forgetful mess. I don’t even remember what I ate for breakfast today. I always need to be reminded. You’re not so easily forgotten, though. Don’t mind my forgetful ass.”

“I can attest to that, unfortunately,” A cheery voice came from behind Daniel, “But, uhm, what is going on here?”

Daniel shoved himself back in surprise, Valtteri looking red on the face, and spun around to see Sebastian smirking at them both. Daniel squeaked, “It’s not what it looks like.”

Sebastian just raised his hands in mock surrender, “I’m not saying anything,” and he moved forward before stopping, suddenly catching the sight of a photo pinned on the board on the wall next to the counter. He made his way to the board, not noticing Daniel calling his name.

He caught his breath. There was a black and white casual close-up photo of a young man, around 17 or 18, grinning at the camera, his eyes were twinkling with mischief. His hair was swept by the wind and he was holding a military helmet, World War II steel helmet, the historian part of Sebastian’s mind supplied.

Sebastian had a sudden urge to touch the photograph. It was like an itch he couldn’t just scratch away. He reached out his right hand, fingers just touching the picture, when he got pulled and everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the first chapter. No Kimi yet, but don't worry he'll come soon. Anyway, love it, hate it? Too long? Please leave kudos if you like it, I hope you do like it! Also, my comment is open for any kind of constructive criticism or if you just want to say hi.


	2. the one where he became a ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian was dead. Until he wasn't.

He felt the snow before he saw it. When the alien feeling of his soul being sucked out of his body subsided, Sebastian opened his eyes. His jaw went slack at the sight in front of him. A whole village covered with snow.

Sebastian spun around, bewildered. The last thing he remembered was being in the antique store with Daniel in the middle of April. Was he hallucinating? Or, his thought took on a horrifying turn, was he dead? Was this how the afterlife supposed to be? An endless state of winter?

Suddenly, Sebastian’s ears picked up noises. He turned around and caught sight of teenage boys running around, wearing only shorts in the middle of winter, Sebastian thought incredulously. Maybe he was really dead. They all ran towards him and his eyes widened in horror at the thought of being trampled. He closed his eyes and threw his hands forward, trying to stop them. But, nothing happened. he opened his eyes slowly and stumbled back in surprise as they ran through him.

_How?_

“I’m a ghost,” he whispered under his breath. The words tasted bitter on his tongue. He thought of his family and hoped that they weren’t sad for too long. He also thought of his best friends, both Daniel and Lewis, and hoped they wouldn’t forget him when they finally made it into the world. He hoped he didn’t traumatize Dan by dying in front of him.

He grinned weakly, Dan could tell that story over Christmas to his grandchildren one day. He imagined the thought of Dan, grey and wrinkled, but still smiling as bright. He imagined the Australian saying, “I used to have a good friend and we decided to go to an antique store then he just dropped dead in front of me.” Maybe Dan’s grandchildren would laugh at that, Sebastian thought rather morbidly.

Sebastian’s thought went to the antique store. He hoped that it wouldn’t be closed because of his death. Or maybe it would get popular, who knew? But, most of all, he thought of his life. All of his purposes, all of his dreams turning to ashes, “What do I do now?”

Sebastian turned to see where the boys were going and made a split decision to go after them.

* * *

It turned out to be a terrible idea. His shoes weren’t winter-appropriate and he paid the price, slipping countless times as he tried to reach those boys. Not to mention the fact that his clothes were too thin to withstand the cold. Could you get sick in the afterlife? Scratch that, could you die from hypothermia when you were already dead?

He was wet and shivering with cold when he finally caught up with the boys. He almost screamed out in frustration when he saw them jumping into a lake. How did anyone in the afterlife have a low-temperature tolerance except him? Was this supposed to be his afterlife punishment?

Sebastian’s thought was cut by the sound of screaming and laughing. He stared at those boys, watching them having the fun of their lives or the fun of their death? _All these death things are giving me headaches_ , Sebastian decided. He made his way closer, freezing in his too-thin shirt, and stopped at the edge of the lake.

He observed those boys casually. They looked like your everyday, normal teenagers playing around. There were ten of them and they were pushing at each other, trying to drown the other person. _Boys_ , Sebastian rolled his eyes in disgust. But he frowned, wondering why they could touch each other when they managed to run through him like he wasn’t there. _Hell_ , Sebastian thought _, they didn’t even see me_.

Sebastian pondered about it for a long time when his eyes caught someone floating on the water. He raised an eyebrow at the sight and noticed the person didn’t look any older than the other boys, thirteen at the most. Sebastian watched as one of the boys swam toward the floating boy and smiled in amusement when they pulled the boy’s feet down.

The boy spluttered in surprise, somehow able to stop himself from drowning and swam to chase after his friend. Sebastian’s smile was frozen in surprise as he spotted the boy’s feature. That was the boy in the photograph, the one pinned in the antique store. He looked younger than the one in the photo and there was still some baby fat clinging to his cheeks, but the mischievous glint was there.

Sebastian sat down, his head spinning. He stared as the boy started to swim closer to the edge where Sebastian was sitting. His hair was pale, almost as white as the snow and his eyes were grey. Sebastian supposed one would have looked lifeless with coloring like that, but the boy’s eyes were bright and there was red on his cheeks after all the swimming. Sebastian wondered how the boy would look like if he ever grew up and, _can you still grow in the afterlife?_ He watched as the boy walked out of the lake and stood in front of him. Sebastian opened his mouth, but the boy walked through him and his vision went dark.

* * *

Sebastian violently gasped and sat up. The bright light of a fluorescent lamp hit his eyes and he groaned at the sensation, feeling dizzy and disoriented. There were voices around him, loud and harsh. He winced in pain, trying to calm his breathing. It was a few minutes later when he finally managed to crack an eye open.

“Seb?" A soft voice hesitantly asked, "Are you okay?”

Sebastian cracked another eye open and stared at the face in front of him in confusion, “Dan?”

Daniel opened his mouth to speak when his eyes widened and that was the last thing Sebastian saw before he passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did i just write half a page about seb thinking he was dead? did i regret it? uh no? anyway guess who the boy is ;)


	3. in where he was too busy to think about what happened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian had a good sleep, a bad morning, and he didn't know whether he would live to see the end of the day.

Sebastian laid back on his bed, eyes staring at the ceiling of his bedroom. He was finally able to get a good night’s sleep after the chaotic last two weeks. All those late nights group discussions and staying up all night in the library to lessen his piles of tasks, he had missed his bed more than he thought possible.

He looked at his window. The sun was barely out and there was still darkness peeking through his curtains and he sighed. There was something comforting in waking up well-rested before the alarm rung. He just wished he could stay in bed for the rest of the day. But, there were always classes to attend, assignments to submit, people to meet, tasks to complete. He groaned, but a tiny thought slipped into his mind, _at least you’re still alive_. Sebastian shuddered at the thought, mind flashing back to the incident three weeks ago.

* * *

Sebastian blinked his eyes open, there was a bright light hitting his eyes. He blinked for a couple of times before he adjusted his sight. There was someone clutching his left hand and it took him a few seconds to notice it was Daniel with his gaze down, looking like someone who just went through a hysterical fit.

Sebastian coughed, trying to catch the Australian’s gaze. It worked, Daniel looked up and their eyes met. The dark-haired man squeezed his hand harshly and said, “I thought you were dead. You were freezing like hell. What the fuck, mate?”

He opened his mouth, and closed it again, feeling like a deer in the headlights. He was saved when the curtain surrounding his bed was opened, a worried-looking Lewis sticking his head in and smiled when his gaze found Sebastian. Lewis stepped forward and tilted his head, “Glad to see you’re awake Seb. You’ve been giving Dan here a hard time. Oh, and Val there,” Lewis gestured his head back, pointing at something, or someone behind the curtain, “He was worried he needs to call his uncle to tell him that there’s a dead man in their store.”

Lewis turned around and pulled the curtain aside, “Come in, Val. He’s okay.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow and looked at Daniel, he mouthed, _Val?_

Daniel just shook his head, _don’t ask me_.

The blonde-haired man from the antique store stepped into Sebastian’s line of sight. He looked at Sebastian, there was relief in his eyes, and nodded. Sebastian raised his right hand in greeting, “Val, right?”

“Valtteri,” the man quickly corrected. Sebastian raised his eyebrow higher, a questioning look in his eyes, and watched as the other man lightly blushed and stuttered, “Um, ah, Val is fine.”

 _Uh, huh, okay_. Sebastian noticed Daniel holding back giggles while Lewis, oblivious to the atmosphere of the room, starting to talk again. Apparently, Valtteri had been the one to drive both Daniel and Sebastian to the hospital. And they, Lewis and Valtteri, had met in the receptionist desk, when Lewis came in like a hurricane asking after a Sebastian and Valtteri politely interrupted, asking whether it was the same Sebastian that had fainted on his store floor.

“He’s been really nice, Seb,” Lewis continued on as Sebastian smiled painfully at the reminder of his fainting, “You’re lucky you fainted at his store. I doubt any other storekeepers would drive you to the hospital and took care of the administration.”

Sebastian grimaced lightly, _I’d rather not faint at all_ , but he smiled and said, “Thank you for everything. I owe you.”

Valtteri just shrugged, “Well, you wouldn’t make a good sell. Unless we mummify you and sell you to collectors. But, I doubt they’ll buy it. You’re hardly antique.”

Sebastian couldn’t help dropping his jaw in surprise, speechless. Lewis laughed and exclaimed, “Oh, that’s a funny one. Seb would make a terrible mummy anyway.”

Sebastian huffed, affronted. He didn’t know whether he should feel insulted after being accused of making a terrible mummy or not. And Daniel who was now giggling loudly didn’t do anything to help him. Sebastian settled for rolling his eyes, “Can I go home now?”

“Of course,” Lewis replied, “Val has agreed to drive us home.”

Sebastian resisted the urge to bash his head to the nearest wall.

* * *

Sebastian was snapped out of his flashback when his alarm rung. He groaned before quickly sitting up, hands reaching to turn the alarm off. He stretched his body and yawned before rising out of the bed. He took a beige sweater out of his closet and yesterday’s jeans draped on the arm of his sofa before making his way to the bathroom.

He emerged out from the bathroom and started organizing his bag for today, humming made up melodies under his breath. Running through a mental list in his head, he made sure he had everything he needed for today. He only had one class today so he didn’t really need too many things.

He checked his watch, contemplating. He had more than enough time to grab breakfast at that pastry shop behind the campus or, and he turned his gaze to his small kitchen, he could cook his own breakfast. He mulled it over and grabbed his bag, making a split decision to grab breakfast outside.

* * *

“Oh, my, God,” Sebastian shouted out, followed by strings of curses in German, “Watch your fucking self.”

The cyclist, who had crashed into him and didn’t even stop to apologize and was slowly getting away, only gave a middle finger from behind his head. Sebastian sputtered indignantly and started yelling insults again, but could only watch helplessly as the cyclist getting farther away and out of his sight. He looked down at his sweater and noticed the drying stain of coffee. He groaned and muttered, “I should’ve just cooked today.”

The only bright thing was he had somehow decided to bring his coat with him. The weather was too warm, but he had to make do with it. Grumbling a bit, he wore it and wished desperately it would help to cover the stain. He checked his watch and widened his eyes, he had to hurry.

He ran around the campus building, trying to get to the entrance door. _Whoever thought that having only one door is a fucking genius_ , Sebastian decided. Without stopping to catch a breath, he ran up the stairs, only stopping when he reached the front door of his classroom on the third floor. He stopped, taking a deep breath before he knocked twice.

Sebastian opened up the door and stepped inside. Keeping his gaze down, he started to apologize, “I am sorry, Sir, for coming late. There had been an accident. I promise I won’t be late again in the future.”

“Um,” A female voice answered, “And who are you?”

Sebastian looked up, surprised by the woman’s voice. He tried to answer, but his eyes caught the sight of the students inside of the class and panicked. He didn’t know any of them. He shifted his eyes back to the woman and instead asked, “This is not Professor Alrick’s class?”

“Is this not, you mean,” the woman retorted, “But, no. This is not his class. I borrowed it for today. He cannot come so he let me borrow the room. Did you not get any notice?”

He looked around, some of the students were holding back their laughter. Sebastian’s ears grew hot and he just shook his head, feeling too embarrassed to answer. The professor made a disapproving noise, “Well, better luck next time, _Mr_.?”

“Vettel, ma’am,” He replied, “I, uh, I’m sorry for disturbing your class. May I be excused?”

The professor stared at him for a minute too long and Sebastian tried not to fidget at his spot. With one final unimpressed look, she waved her hand. Sebastian bowed his head and turned on his heels, trying not to look like he was running from a massacre. Based on the snickers he heard when he was closing the door, he guessed he failed.

* * *

**Honeybadger:** Where r u, Seb? Still doing those lame group discussions?

**Glitter maniac:** At the Café, and no.

 **Glitter maniac:** Also, group discussions are not lame.

**Honeybadger:** R lame. They r boOoring. Ur just pretending u hv different onions n try 2 find common ground when u all have the same 1.

 **Honeybadger:** Oops, I mean opinions*

**Glitter maniac** : Just get your ass up here, Ricciardo.

**Honeybadger:** Heads up, mate.

Sebastian looked up and found Daniel grinning down at him. The Australian pulled out the chair across Sebastian and plopped himself down. He began opening his mouth and Sebastian held his breath but bashed his head to the table when the other man asked, “You look like you’ve been hit by a truck, mate. You good?”

“More like by a bicycle and got embarrassed in a front of strangers,” Sebastian sarcastically quipped, “But yeah, I’m ‘good’.”

Daniel held his hands up, “Whoa, mate. Don’t be angry at me. I’m not the one who did it.”

Sebastian shrugged his shoulders but said nothing. Daniel, taking the German’s silence as an invitation, starting to talk about his day instead. He was a funny storyteller and by the end of it, some of Sebastian’s annoyance had seeped out. He laughed himself to tears when the dark-haired man did an impression of his classmates complete with dramatized hand gestures and expressions.

“Oh,” Sebastian said when he managed to rein his laughter, “Stop it, you silly.”

Daniel was about to retort when both of their phones chimed in. They checked it out to see a message from Lewis in the group chat. They opened the group chat and looked at each other when they finished reading it.

**King of the track:** Guys, you’re both at the Café?

 **King of the track:** Would you mind grabbing my favorite? I’ll owe you big time.

 **King of the track:** Also, some for Val? I’m with him at his store. You can come.

 **King of the track:** Thank you, btw, xoxo.

Daniel snorted, “Val really?”

Sebastian hushed him, “You’re the one who almost forced him to go on a blind date,” and quickly typed an _okay_ to Lewis. He pocketed the phone and stood up, making his way to the cashier to wrap up some food for Lewis and Valtteri. 

* * *

“Guys?” Sebastian yelled out, “You’re there?”

He heard the sounds of panicked rustling. Sebastian and Daniel exchanged glances. _Don’t_ , Sebastian mouthed in a warning. But, Daniel, eyes twinkling, grinned and cupped his mouth with his hands, “Are you both dressed? Should we cover our eyes? Lewis, I can’t believe you’re going to traumatize us like that, we’ve been friends for years. And Valtteri, I thought we’re becoming best friends, mate.”

Sebastian would definitely lose his eyeballs with all the time he spent rolling his eyes at Daniel. With a quick jab at Daniel’s side, he attempted to shut the other man. But the other man only laughed and avoided Sebastian’s elbow. Sebastian watched as Daniel tiptoeing his way to the door that led to the back store, probably trying to surprise the couple.

Sebastian averted his eyes and caught the sight of _it_ again, for the first time in almost a month. He hadn’t really thought about it, not because he had forgotten, but he never had the time. a part of him had been so sure it had been a hallucination or a lucid dream. But now, looking at the boy, or young man really, was it truly a hallucination?

Sebastian stared at the photo, a part of him wished it wasn’t black and white. He was curious whether his hair was still as white as the snow. He had the urge to color the photo, just to put some color on the man’s face. He suddenly frowned. There was a crease on the corner of the photo and he reached out to smoothen it.

 _Not again_ , he thought in a flash, as he felt his body being pulled and everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is supposed to be a filler and it ended up so long lmao, i don't even know why i'm writing a val/lewis, but it kinda fits so... anyway this chapter is a mess, maybe tomorrow i'll bring it down and fix it again. also going to be busy for the rest of the week so, I'll think this is gonna be the last update for a while. probably next week i have the chance to update. i mean i have the outline of the story until the end so it's just the matter of typing them down. anyway don't forget to leave kudos and comments! i love comments. okay gotta stop before this getting too long


End file.
